Incense burner, by Ali ibn Abu Nasr, 11th century. #Bronze (brass), cast and #engraved, height: 27.5 cm; length: 23.5 cm. #Ahmad_Donish Institute of History, #Archaeology, and #Ethnographyof the #Tajik Academy of Sciences, #Dushanbe.This incense burner in the form of a feline predator (a lynx, to judgeby the ear-tips) was found during excavations at the site of Khulbuk(southern #Tajikistan) in 1978. Its construction differs slightly from thatof similar objects – the head and neck are not detachable but foldforward on a hinge.The incense burner is decorated with engraved and piercedornaments. The decoration is especially luxuriant on the head andneck, where one should note the narrow strips filled with circletsdotted in the centre.It is this design which links the incense burner to a large groupof #Khurasan objects of the 8th-9th centuries. Engraved palmettes,rosettes and “knots” are found on the paws and the back of thebody. Along the body, on both sides, there are cartouches with #Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script:“Made by #Ali_ibn_Abi_Nasr”;“To every work – [its] accomplishers..”.Insofar as the incense burner has an archaeological dating – notlater than the mid-11th century (when Khulbuk perished) – it enablesus to date other, similar incense burners more accurately (earlier theywere assigned to the 11th-12th centuries). The palaeographicalanalysis of the inscription is entirely in accordance with this date. nasiriart1975#beautiful#instaart#instaartsy#instaartwork#instaartist#instaartpop#instaarthub#instaarte#instaarts#instaartistic#artwork#artist#artshow#artgallery#newartwork